Smartphone mounting apparatus and imaging methods for asset tagging and utility mapping as used with utility locator devices

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/514,090, entitled SMARTPHONE MOUNTING APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR ASSET TAGGING AS USED WITH UTILITY LOCATOR DEVICES, filed Jul. 17, 2023, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

This disclosure relates generally to methods for mapping utility lines and associated apparatus for mounting a smartphone on a utility locator device. More specifically, this disclosure relates to image processing and utility mapping methods via a smartphone optionally mounted on a utility locator device via for a smartphone mapping apparatus as well as methods using Deep Learning/artificial intelligence to recognize patterns and make predictions related to underground utilities including utility line type classification.

Utility locator devices, sometimes referred to as Geo-Locating Receivers (GLR), are used to locate utility lines buried or otherwise hidden from sight are well known in the art. The vast majority of utility locator devices known in the art may measure electromagnetic signals at one or a limited few frequencies from current coupled to an electrically conductive utility line via a transmitter device or from AC current inherently flowing through the utility such as with a power line. Known utility locator devices may be tuned to one or a limited few frequencies emitted by a utility line which may further be located via tracing the length of the utility line along the ground surface in a procedure commonly referred to as “line tracing.” Such devices are extremely limited in the information collected regarding buried utility lines and the environment in which they exist. For instance, such utility locator devices are limited to locating only those utility lines which have knowingly had current coupled thereto thus leaving a user ignorant of presence other unknown utility lines. Further, such utility locator devices provide little to no information regarding the locate environment that may have influence on the electromagnetic data and/or may otherwise provide information that be helpfully in precisely locating or mapping all buried utility lines.

There are few utility locator devices known in the art configured to measure electromagnetic signals across a large range of frequencies. Such utility locator devices may, in addition to the vast amounts of electromagnetic signal data, collect other data relating to the locating environment to facilitate precisely locating and mapping buried utility lines. For instance, such utility locator devices known in the art may determine geolocations via GNSS receivers and other INS sensor data. Further, some such utility locator devices may “tag” or determine and record the geolocation of assets in the locate environment that may be related to the buried utility lines, influence the measured electromagnetic signals, associating utility positions to maps of the same area, and/or have other significance to locating buried utility line. Whereas having this additional information is useful in precisely locating and mapping utility lines, the vastness of such data may be challenging to process in or near real-time.

Some more advanced utility locator devices may be part of a broader system wherein processing of data and/or measuring or collecting of other information may be accomplished by other connected devices (e.g., laptops, tablets, smartphones, remote servers, signal transmitters, base stations, other locating specific devices and the like) thus alleviating the burden of the utility locator device. As utility locator device continue to evolve and the need to include other devices in a larger locating system becomes desirable or necessary, there is a need to accommodate other connected devices in ways to facilitate ease of use as well as improve upon the functionality of such connected devices when used in conjunction with a utility locator device.

Further, ensuring that utility lines are accurately located and/or mapped is imperative for the protection of humans and infrastructure. Every year incorrectly or inaccurately located and mapped utility lines results in tragedy wherein excavation may mistakenly strike utility lines (e.g., explosions from damaged gas pipes, electrocutions and fires from damaged power lines, floods from damaged water lines, and the like). As a result, there is a vast financial cost from damage to nearby buildings and other infrastructure as well as injury and even death to workers and other people in the surrounding area. Known utility locating devices and systems may utilize GPS or other GNSS to determine and map the geolocations of electromagnetic signals. As there is often error in geolocations produced via GPS or other GNSS, mapped utility lines may not be as accurate as desired. Such errors may be further increased wherein teams excavating the utility line or lines again utilize GPS or other GNSS attempt to determine the location to dig to unearth the same utility lines. Likewise, there is a wealth of data present in the locate environment that is ignored by known devices and systems that may otherwise allow for more precise mapping of utility lines which, in turn, could result in more accurate and safe excavations of utility lines. The term “assets” or “ground assets,” as used herein, may be used to refer to such data present in the locate environment that may generally be along the ground surface.

Furthermore, known utility locator devices and systems fail to provide information regarding utility lines that may be useful to a user. For instance, various characteristics of a utility line, such as a utility line type (e.g., water, sewer, power, gas, telecommunication, and the like), may be useful information to a user for purposes of locating, mapping, or excavating a particular utility line.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art to address the above-described as well as other problems.

The present disclosure relates generally to methods for mapping utility lines and associated apparatus for mounting a smartphone on a utility locator device. More specifically, this disclosure relates to image processing and utility mapping methods via a smartphone optionally mounted on a utility locator device via for a smartphone mapping apparatus as well as methods using Deep Learning/artificial intelligence to recognize patterns and make predictions related to underground utilities including utility line type classification.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention a smartphone mounting apparatus for coupling a smartphone to a utility locator device and related methods are disclosed. The smartphone mounting apparatus having a retainer element to mount and selectively retain a smartphone such that the camera(s) of the smartphone remain unobstructed and may approximately align with the median plane of the utility locator device and an angle joint element to orient the smartphone in the retainer element at a known angle such that the camera(s) of the smartphone has a field of view capturing still and video images of an asset to be tagged at the ground surface in front of the utility locator device during normal usage. Further, the smartphone mounting apparatus having a mounting element to secure the smartphone mounting apparatus to the utility locator device.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an asset tagging method that employees a smartphone retained in a smartphone mounting apparatus is disclosed. The method includes a step mounting a smartphone in a smartphone mounting apparatus coupled in a known position and orientation on a utility locator device. In another step, the method includes performing a utility locating operation via the utility locator device. In another step, the method includes identifying assets to be tagged. In another step, the method includes actuating asset tagging generating asset tagging data that includes the geolocation of the asset. In another step, the method includes capturing video and/or still images of the asset on the smartphone. In another step, the method includes communicating the video and/or still images of the asset to the utility locator device. In another step, the method includes correlating the video and/or still images of the asset with asset tagging data.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a locate environment scanning method employing a smartphone mounting apparatus is disclosed. In one step, the method includes mounting a smartphone in a smartphone mounting apparatus secured in a known position and orientation on a utility locator device. In another step, the method includes performing a utility locating operation with the utility locator device. In another step, the method includes generating images via the camera(s) of the smartphone at a known interval. In another step, the method includes associating each image with a geolocation of the image determined via the smartphone or utility locator device. In another step, the method includes storing, via one or more non-transitory memories, images and associated geolocations.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method may include analyzing images in real-time for features of interest, and capturing images based on feature recognition.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a utility mapping method is disclosed. The method includes moving about a locate environment measuring electromagnetic signals via a utility locator device generating electromagnetic signal data. The utility locator device and/or a smartphone which may be disposed in a smartphone mounting apparatus may generate images of the locate environment at a known position relative to the utility locator device as well as geospatial data describing the pose/orientations and geolocations of the utility locator device in a world coordinate system. The method further includes mapping electromagnetic signal data based on the geospatial data of the utility locator device. The method includes identifying objects or other assets in the images that correlate or match those in a pre-existing digital map. The method further determines an offset value describing the distance and direction between the geolocations of objects/assets in the images of the locate environment and the geolocations of the objects/assets in the pre-existing digital map. The method further applies the offset values in both distance and direction to mapped electromagnetic signal data to generate an updated utility map. The method includes storing electromagnetic signal data, geospatial data, images of the locate environment, identified object/assets, offset values, and updated utility maps in one or more non-transitory memories.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a computer implemented method for utility line positions and characteristics including utility line type classification using Artificial Intelligence (AI) is disclosed. The method includes collecting Locating Data describing the positions of utility lines in the ground from electromagnetic signals via a utility locator device and Asset Data describing mapping and other data determined from images of the ground surface. The method further includes assembling a Training Database that includes Locating Data and Asset Data. Using deep learning to train a Neural Network (Artificial Intelligence/AI) via the Training Database Data. The method includes using AI to generate predictions regarding the positions of utility lines and utility line characteristics. The predictions may include utility line type classification. For instance, relationships between electromagnetic signal patterns and utility line types. The method includes outputting predictions regarding the positions of utility lines and utility line characteristics.

Various additional aspects, features, and functionality are further described below in conjunction with the appended Drawings.

The present disclosure relates generally to methods for mapping utility lines and associated apparatus for mounting a smartphone on a utility locator device. More specifically, this disclosure relates to image processing and utility mapping methods via a smartphone optionally mounted on a utility locator device via for a smartphone mapping apparatus as well as methods using Deep Learning/artificial intelligence to recognize patterns and make predictions related to underground utilities including utility line type classification.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention a smartphone mounting apparatus for coupling a smartphone to a utility locator device is disclosed. The smartphone mounting apparatus having a retainer element to mount and selectively retain a smartphone such that the camera(s) of the smartphone remain unobstructed and may align with the median plane of the utility locator device. In some embodiments the camera or cameras may be or include LiDAR or other three-dimensional imaging apparatus to generate a three-dimensional image of an asset or three-dimensional position of features of interest, e.g. a street corner, road, etc. LiDAR may also be used to measure the distance to various points within an image. In some embodiments, images may be scanned for features in real-time, and the scanned features may be used for navigation. Optionally, all navigational features and sensors, as well as computational capabilities of the phone, should be available to be combined with locator sensors to improve navigational results.

The retainer element may, in some embodiments, be adjustable to accommodate different sized and shaped smartphones. The smartphone mounting apparatus further including an angle joint element to orient the smartphone in the retainer element at a known angle such that the camera(s) of the smartphone has a field of view capturing still and video images of an asset to be tagged at the ground surface in front of the utility locator device during normal usage. In some embodiments, the angle joint element may be adjustable to adjust the angle of the field of view for capturing still and video images of an asset to be tagged at the ground surface. Further, the smartphone mounting apparatus having a mounting element to secure the smartphone mounting apparatus to the utility locator device. In some embodiments, the mounting element may couple to the mast of the utility locator device. In further embodiments, the mounting element may couple to the head of the utility locator device. In some embodiments, the mounting element may be positioned on the utility locator device such that the user interface of an attached smartphone may be accessible by the user in control of the utility locator device.

In another aspect, the smartphone mounting apparatus embodiments of the present invention may include a wired connector for connecting the smartphone and utility locator device for the purpose of exchanging data and/or providing electrical power to the smartphone. In some such embodiments, a smartphone mounting apparatus may include a wireless charging mechanism for the purpose of providing electrical power to the smartphone. In further embodiments, a smartphone mounting apparatus of the present invention may include a battery in providing electrical power to the smartphone. In some embodiments, the smartphone may be charged when installed into the mount if a charge battery is present in the locator. Phone charging may be configured to charge the phone even if the locator is turned off.

In accordance with another aspect, the utility locator devices, smartphones, other system devices, and/or remote databases (e.g., cloud servers or the like) may be in wireless communication with each other. Further, the methods disclosed herein may include communicating data and images to one or more other devices for processing. For instance, in some embodiments, images may be generated via one or more cameras in the utility locator device and be communicated to a smartphone for processing. In such embodiments, the smartphone may receive images, electromagnetic data, geospatial data, and/or other data and tag asset, identify assets present in the locate environment and determine utility line type, determine utility line types, mapping of electromagnetic signals and utility lines, and other processing/analysis. It should be noted that in such embodiments that a smartphone may or may not be held in smartphone mounting apparatus of the present disclosure.

In another aspect, the specific optical characteristics of the smartphone may be communicated to the utility locator device. In some such embodiments, the specific optical characteristics may be included in correcting the geolocation of assets and utility lines.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an asset tagging method that employees a smartphone retained in a smartphone mounting apparatus is disclosed. The method includes a step mounting a smartphone in a smartphone mounting apparatus coupled in a known position and orientation on a utility locator device. In another step, the method includes performing a utility locating operation via the utility locator device. In another step, the method includes identifying assets to be tagged. In some instances, the tagging process may be voice activated. In another step, the method includes actuating asset tagging generating asset tagging data that includes the geolocation of the asset. For instance, the asset may be tagged via a laser rangefinder apparatus. In such embodiments, the orientation of the smartphone mounting apparatus may capture the laser on the asset in the field of view of the smartphone when installed. In another step, the method includes capturing video and/or still images of the asset on the smartphone. In another step, the method includes communicating the video and/or still images of the asset to the utility locator device. In another step, the method includes correlating the video and/or still images of the asset with asset tagging data. The position of the laser dot in the phone camera image may correspond to a distance due to using parallax due to the offset of the phone with respect to the laser.

In another aspect, the video and/or still images of the asset and corresponding asset tagging data may be communicated to a remote database and/or other remote device. For instance, the video and/or still images of the asset and corresponding asset tagging data may be communicated to a cloud computer and/or other computing device and/or other system device(s).

1100 1300 11 FIG. 13 FIG. In another aspect, the correlated video and/or still images of the asset and the asset tagging data may further be correlated with electromagnetic signal data and associated utility line positions. Further, the correlated video and/or still images of the asset and the asset tagging data may further be correlated with notes or other user input. The term “correlate” as used herein may refer to an association or relationship between data/information or other aspects of the utility locating and/or asset tagging operations. Likewise, the terms “correlating” and “correlated” may refer to identifying or establishing a link or relationship between information/data or other aspects of the utility locating and/or asset tagging operations. Such correlations may spatially align or otherwise have a spatial relationship. For instance, electromagnetic data may have a correlating spatial relationship with tagged assets or other images of the locating environment. In other embodiments, such correlations may refer to relationships between data or sets of data. For instance, in some embodiments, such as the methodofor the AI methodof, a correlation may be identified between utility line types as determined through images of the locate environment and the patterns in electromagnetic signals.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a locate environment scanning method employing a smartphone mounting apparatus is disclosed. In one step, the method includes mounting a smartphone in a smartphone mounting apparatus secured in a known position and orientation on a utility locator device. In another step, the method includes performing a utility locating operation with the utility locator device. In another step, the method includes generating images via the camera(s) of the smartphone at a known interval. For instance, the interval may be based on timing or in change of position/geolocation. In an optional step, assets may be identified from the images. In some embodiments, the images may be three-dimensional (e.g., via LiDAR or other three-dimensional imaging system). In another step, the method includes associating each image with a geolocation of the image determined via the smartphone or utility locator device. Optionally, the method may include generating a map of the locate environment from the images and associated geolocations. Such a map may include the positions/geolocations of utility lines. In some embodiments, three-dimensional images may be used to generate a topographical map of the locate environment that may include utility line positions/geolocations. In another step, the method includes storing, via one or more non-transitory memories, images and associated geolocations.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a utility mapping method is disclosed. The method includes moving about a locate environment measuring electromagnetic signals via a utility locator device generating electromagnetic signal data. The utility locator device and/or a smartphone which may be disposed in a smartphone mounting apparatus may generate images of the locate environment at a known position relative to the utility locator device as well as geospatial data describing the pose/orientations and geolocations of the utility locator device in a world coordinate system. It should be noted that the images may be generated via cameras disposed in the utility locator device and/or cameras disposed in a smartphone which may be in a smartphone mounting apparatus. In at least one embodiment, images may be generated via cameras in the utility locator device and further communicated to a smartphone (which may or may not be in a smartphone mounting apparatus) for processing of images and other data. Likewise, such images and data may be communicated to a remote database (e.g., cloud server or the like) and/or other system devices (e.g., transmitter device, base station, camera control unit, pipe inspection camera, camera reel, and/or the like). Optionally, the method may include orthorectifying images of the locate environment. The orthorectification of images may occur in real-time or near real-time. The method further includes mapping electromagnetic signal data based on the geospatial data of the utility locator device. The method includes identifying objects or other assets in the images that correlate or match those in a pre-existing digital map. The method further determines an offset value describing the distance and direction between the geolocations of objects/assets in the images of the locate environment and the geolocations of the objects/assets in the pre-existing digital map. The method further applies the offset values in both distance and direction to mapped electromagnetic signal data to generate an updated utility map. Optionally, the method may include classifying utility lines with a utility type (e.g., gas, water, sewer, power, telecommunications, and the like). Further, the method may optionally include associating or correlating utility line type with the electromagnetic signal patterns of the prior step. The method includes storing electromagnetic signal data, geospatial data, images of the locate environment, identified object/assets, offset values, utility classifications and associated electromagnetic signal pattern data, and updated utility maps in one or more non-transitory memories.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a computer implemented method for utility line positions and characteristics including utility line type classification using Artificial Intelligence (AI) is disclosed. The method includes collecting Locating Data describing the positions of utility lines in the ground from electromagnetic signals via a utility locator device and Asset Data describing mapping and other data determined from images of the ground surface. The Locating Data may, for example, include electromagnetic data measured via the utility locator device, geospatial data describing geolocations and orientations/pose, depth estimates of utility lines, maps of utility lines, user input data, and other data relating to the location/position and characteristics of utility lines. The Asset Data may, for example, include asset tagging data, images of the locate environment, utility line classification data (e.g., data relating utility line type with images of assets and data relating determined utility line type with electromagnetic data), offset data, user input data, and other data relating to assets or other objects in the locate environment. The method further includes assembling a Training Database that includes Locating Data and Asset Data. Using deep learning to train a Neural Network (Artificial Intelligence/AI) via the Training Database Data. The method includes using AI to generate predictions regarding the positions of utility lines and utility line characteristics. The predictions may include utility line type classification. For instance, relationships between electromagnetic signal patterns and utility line types. The method includes outputting predictions regarding the positions of utility lines and utility line characteristics.

Details of example methods and devices that may be used in or combined with the devices and methods described herein, are disclosed in co-assigned patents and patent applications including: U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,239, issued Aug. 17, 1999, entitled VIDEO PUSH-CABLE; U.S. Pat. No. 6,545,704, issued Jul. 7, 1999, entitled VIDEO PIPE INSPECTION DISTANCE MEASURING SYSTEM; U.S. Pat. No. 6,831,679, issued Dec. 14, 2004, entitled VIDEO CAMERA HEAD WITH THERMAL FEEDBACK LIGHTING CONTROL; U.S. Pat. No. 6,958,767, issued Oct. 25, 2005, entitled VIDEO PIPE INSPECTION SYSTEM EMPLOYING NON-ROTATING CABLE STORAGE DRUM; U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,945, issued Mar. 8, 2005, entitled CAMERA GUIDE FOR VIDEO PIPE INSPECTION SYSTEM; U.S. Pat. No. 7,009,399, issued Mar. 7, 2006, entitled OMNIDIRECTIONAL SONDE AND LINE LOCATOR; U.S. Pat. No. 7,136,765, issued Nov. 14, 2006, entitled A BURIED OBJECT LOCATING AND TRACING METHOD AND SYSTEM EMPLOYING PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS ANALYSIS FOR BLIND SIGNAL DETECTION; U.S. Pat. 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No. 11,686,878, issued Jun. 27, 2023, entitled ELECTRONIC MARKER DEVICES FOR BURIED OR HIDDEN USE; U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/524,698, filed Jul. 2, 2023, entitled FILTERING METHODS AND ASSOCIATED UTILITY LOCATOR DEVICES FOR LOCATING AND MAPPING BURIED UTILITY LINES; U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/514,090, filed Jul. 17, 2023, entitled SMARTPHONE MAPPING APPARATUS FOR ASSET TAGGING AS USED WITH UTILITY LOCATOR DEVICES; U.S. Pat. No. 11,709,289, issued Jul. 25, 2023, entitled SONDE DEVICES WITH A SECTIONAL FERRITE CORE; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/365,225, filed Aug. 3, 2023, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INSPECTION ANIMATION; U.S. Pat. No. 11,719,376, issued Aug. 8, 2023, entitled DOCKABLE TRIPODAL CAMERA CONTROL UNIT; U.S. Pat. No. 11,719,646, issued Aug. 8, 2023, entitled PIPE MAPPING SYSTEMS AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 11,719,846, issued Aug. 8, 2023, entitled BURIED UTILITY LOCATING SYSTEMS WITH WIRELESS DATA COMMUNICATION INCLUDING DETERMINATION OF CROSS COUPLING TO ADJACENT UTILITIES; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/233,285, filed Aug. 11, 2023, entitled BURIED OBJECT LOCATOR; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/236,786, filed Aug. 22, 2023, entitled MAGNETIC UTILITY LOCATOR DEVICES AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 11,747,505, issued Sep. 5, 2023, entitled MAGNETIC UTILITY LOCATOR DEVICES AND METHODS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/368,510, filed Sep. 14, 2023, entitled MULTIFUNCTION BURIED UTILITY LOCATING CLIPS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/365,203, filed Sep. 14, 2023, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ELECTRONICALLY MARKING, LOCATING AND VIRTUALLY DISPLAYING BURIED UTILITIES; U.S. Pat. No. 11,768,308, issued Sep. 26, 2023, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ELECTRONICALLY MARKING, LOCATING AND VIRTUALLY DISPLAYING BURIED UTILITIES; U.S. Pat. No. 11,769,956, issued Sep. 26, 2023, entitled MULTIFUNCTION BURIED UTILITY LOCATING CLIPS; U.S. Pat. No. 11,782,179, issued Oct. 10, 2023, entitled BURIED OBJECT LOCATOR WITH DODECAHEDRAL ANTENNA CONFIGURATION APPARATUS AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 11,789,093, issued Oct. 17, 2023, entitled THREE-AXIS MEASUREMENT MODULES AND SENSING METHODS; U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 18/490,763, filed Oct. 20, 2023, entitled LINKED CABLE-HANDLING AND CABLE-STORAGE DRUM DEVICES AND SYSTEMS FOR COORDINATED MOVEMENT OF PUSH-CABLE; U.S. Pat. No. 11,796,707, issued Oct. 24, 2023, entitled USER INTERFACES FOR UTILITY LOCATORS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/544,042, filed Dec. 18, 2023, entitled SYSTEMS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS FOR DOCUMENTING UTILITY POTHOLES AND ASSOCIATED UTILITY LINES; U.S. Pat. No. 11,876,283, issued Jan. 16, 2024, entitled COMBINED SATELLITE NAVIGATION AND RADIO TRANSCEIVER ANTENNA DEVICES; U.S. Pat. No. 11,894,707, issued Feb. 6, 2024, entitled RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK ONBOARD CHARGE STATE INDICATION METHODS AND APPARATUS; U.S. Pat. No. 11,909,104, issued Feb. 20, 2024, entitled ANTENNAS, MULTI-ANTENNA APPARATUS, AND ANTENNA HOUSINGS; U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/558,098, filed Feb. 26, 2024, entitled SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS FOR DOCUMENTING GROUND ASSETS AND ASSOCIATED UTILITY LINES; U.S. Pat. No. 11,921,225, issued Mar. 5, 2024, entitled ANTENNA SYSTEMS FOR CIRCULARLY POLARIZED RADIO SIGNALS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/611,449, filed Mar. 20, 2024, entitled VIDEO INSPECTION AND CAMERA HEAD TRACKING SYSTEMS AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 11,953,643, issued Apr. 9, 2024, entitled MAP GENERATION BASED ON UTILITY LINE POSITION AND ORIENTATION ESTIMATES; U.S. Provisional Patent 63/643,915, filed May 7, 2024, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LOCATING AND MAPPING BURIED UTILITY OBJECTS USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WITH LOCAL OR REMOTE PROCESSING; U.S. Provisional Patent 63/659,722, filed Jun. 13, 2024, entitled VEHICLE-MOUNTING DEVICES AND METHODS FOR USE IN VEHICLE-BASED LOCATING SYSTEMS; and U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 18/758,937, filed Jun. 28, 2024, entitled FILTERING METHODS AND ASSOCIATED UTILITY LOCATOR DEVICES FOR LOCATING AND MAPPING BURIED UTILITY LINES. The content of each of the above-described patents and applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The above applications may be collectively denoted herein as the “co-assigned applications” or “incorporated applications.”

The following exemplary embodiments are provided for the purpose of illustrating examples of various aspects, details, and functions of apparatus and systems; however, the described embodiments are not intended to be in any way limiting. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various aspects may be implemented in other embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

It is noted that as used herein, the term, “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect, detail, function, implementation, and/or embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects and/or embodiments.

As used herein, the term “position” may refer to a location or geolocation as well as a pose or orientation in three-dimensions at that location. For instance, a geolocation determined by GNSS may further include a pose or orientation at the geolocation determined via one or more inertial sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopic sensors, magnetometers, and the like). Further, the INS may include one or more barometers.

The term “electromagnetic signals” or “signals” as used herein may refer to the radiation of electromagnetic energy, and in particular to the associated magnetic field vectors. Such electromagnetic signals may be from current coupled to a conductive utility line, current inherently flowing through a utility line (e.g., power line), the re-radiation of electromagnetic energy (e.g., broadcast radio signals or the like), and other radiation of electromagnetic energy from other sources that may be measured via a utility locator device.

1 FIG.A The term “median plane” may refer to a hypothetical plane vertically bisecting the bilaterally symmetrical utility locator device. The median plane may run from the top to the bottom of the utility locator device separating the utility locator device into right and left halves as illustrated in. In the present disclosure, the median plane is used to describe alignment of camera or cameras of a smartphone as retained by a smartphone mounting apparatus of the present invention.

The term “align” in relation to the camera or cameras of a smartphone and the median plane of a utility locator device when retained in a smartphone mounting apparatus of the present disclosure may refer to an approximation of the positions relative to one another. For instance, the term “align” as used herein may not necessarily exactly share space in the median plane. In some embodiments, the camera or cameras of a smartphone may align with the median plane of a utility locator device where the camera(s) are offset from the median plane by a number of inches but the frame of view of the camera(s) may still capture images and/or videos of an asset.

The term “asset” may refer to any object or attribute in the locate environment which may be of interest in locating or mapping utility lines. For instance, some “assets” may be or include objects and attributes tagged as a reference in correlating utility line positions in the ground to mapping data representing the ground surface. Further, some “assets” may be or include objects and attributes tagged based on a user's identifying the object's or attribute's potential influence on the electromagnetic signals measured by the utility locator device.

The term “asset tagging data” may refer to the data generated by a rangefinder apparatus used in tagging assets or objects in a locating environment. Such “asset tagging data” includes the geolocation of the tagged asset. The asset tagging data herein may be correlated with still images and/or video of an asset generated by a smartphone retained in a smartphone mounting apparatus of the present invention. Such data may, in some embodiments, further be correlated with electromagnetic signal data and utility line positions determined via the utility locator device and/or notes or other user input.

1100 1300 11 FIG. 13 FIG. The term “correlate” as used herein may refer to an association or relationship between data/information or other aspects of the utility locating and/or asset tagging operations. Likewise, the terms “correlating” and “correlated” may refer to identifying or establishing a link or relationship between information/data or other aspects of the utility locating and/or asset tagging operations. Such correlations may spatially align or otherwise have a spatial relationship. For instance, electromagnetic data may have a correlating spatial relationship with tagged assets or other images of the locating environment. In other embodiments, such correlations may refer to relationships between data or sets of data. For instance, in some embodiments, such as the methodofor the AI methodof, a correlation may be identified between utility line types as determined through images of the locate environment and the patterns in electromagnetic signals.

1 FIG.A 1 FIG.D 100 120 140 100 100 101 102 100 155 150 100 Turning to, a utility locator deviceis illustrated which may have a smartphone mounting apparatusof the present invention to selectively retain a smartphoneat a known position and orientation relative to the utility locator device. The utility locator devicemay have an antenna arrayand an associated receiver() to measure electromagnetic signals across a range of frequencies and determine the position of utility lines relative to the utility locator device, such as a signalemitted by a utility line. The utility locator devicemay be or share aspects with the utility locator devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,332,901, issued Feb. 19, 2008, entitled LOCATOR WITH APPARENT DEPTH INDICATION; U.S. Pat. No. 8,264,226, issued Sep. 11, 2012, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCATING BURIED PIPES AND CABLES WITH A MAN PORTABLE LOCATOR AND A TRANSMITTER IN A MESH NETWORK; U.S. Pat. No. 9,057,754, issued Jun. 16, 2015, entitled ECONOMICAL MAGNETIC LOCATOR APPARATUS AND METHOD; U.S. Pat. No. 9,435,907, issued Sep. 6, 2016, entitled PHASE SYNCHRONIZED BURIED OBJECT LOCATOR APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/250,666, filed Mar. 27, 2018, entitled PHASE-SYNCHRONIZED BURIED OBJECT TRANSMITTER AND LOCATOR METHODS AND APPARATUS; U.S. Pat. No. 10,162,074, issued Dec. 25, 2018, entitled UTILITY LOCATORS WITH RETRACTABLE SUPPORT STRUCTURES AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF; U.S. Pat. No. 10,670,766, issued Jun. 2, 2020, entitled UTILITY LOCATING SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS USING RADIO BROADCAST SIGNALS; U.S. Pat. No. 10,690,795, issued Jun. 23, 2020, entitled LOCATING DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS USING FREQUENCY SUITES FOR UTILITY DETECTION; and U.S. Pat. No. 10,809,408, issued Oct. 20, 2020, entitled DUAL SENSED LOCATING SYSTEMS AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. D922,885, issued Jun. 22, 2021, entitled BURIED OBJECT LOCATOR; U.S. Pat. No. 11,196,181, issued Dec. 7, 2021, entitled LOW COST, HIGH PERFORMANCE SIGNAL PROCESSING IN A MAGNETIC-FIELD SENSING BURIED UTILITY LOCATOR SYSTEM; and/or others disclosed in the incorporated patents and applications. The content of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

100 150 100 103 165 160 100 100 104 100 1 FIG.D The utility locator devicemay further determine geolocations and orientation/pose at those geolocations, referred to herein as “geospatial data,” in order to further map buried utility lines such as the utility line. For instance, the utility locator devicemay include one or more GNSSto receive navigation signalsfrom a plurality of GNSS satellitesin determining geolocations of the utility locator device. Further, the utility locator devicemay include an inertial navigation system (INS)() and/or other apparatus to determine the position and orientation or pose of the utility locator devicein the world frame. Such position and orientation/pose determining apparatus may be or share aspects with those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,081,109, issued Jul. 14, 2015, entitled GROUND-TRACKING DEVICES FOR USE WITH A MAPPING LOCATOR; U.S. Pat. No. 9,341,740, issued May 17, 2016, entitled OPTICAL GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 9,411,067, issued Aug. 9, 2016, entitled GROUND-TRACKING SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS; U.S. Pat. No. 9,784,837, issued Oct. 10, 2017, entitled OPTICAL GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/811,361, filed Nov. 13, 2017, entitled OPTICAL GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 9,928,613, issued Mar. 27, 2018, entitled GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/430,225, filed Jun. 3, 2019, entitled MAGNETIC SENSING GROUND TRACKING DEVICES AND METHODS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/502,670, filed Oct. 14, 2021, entitled ELECTRONIC MARKER-BASED NAVIGATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USE IN GNSS-DEPRIVED ENVIRONMENTS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/728,949, filed Apr. 25, 2022, entitled BURIED UTILITY LOCATOR GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 11,428,814, issued Aug. 30, 2022, entitled OPTICAL GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR USE WITH BURIED OBJECT UTILITY LOCATORS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/930,029, filed Sep. 6, 2022, entitled GNSS POSITIONING METHODS AND DEVICES USING PPP-RTK, RTK, SSR, OR LIKE CORRECTION DATA; U.S. Pat. No. 11,953,643, issued Apr. 9, 2024, entitled MAP GENERATION BASED ON UTILITY LINE POSITION AND ORIENTATION ESTIMATES; U.S. Pat. No. 11,988,755, issued May 21, 2024, entitled UTILITY LOCATING DEVICES EMPLOYING MULTIPLE SPACED APART GNSS ANTENNAS; and/or others disclosed in the incorporated patents and applications. The content of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

100 105 170 105 Further, the utility locator devicemay include a rangefinder apparatusfor tagging assets in the locating environment such as an asset. The rangefinder apparatusmay be or share aspects with U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/845,290, filed Jun. 21, 2022, entitled DAYLIGHT VISIBLE AND MULTI-SPECTRAL LASER RANGEFINDERS AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS AND UTILITY LOCATOR DEVICES; U.S. Pat. No. 11,397,274, issued Jul. 26, 2022, entitled TRACKED DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; and/or other devices disclosed in the incorporated patents and applications. The content of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

1 FIG.A 120 140 141 180 100 141 180 142 141 170 Still referring to, when retained in the smartphone mounting apparatus, a smartphonemay be positioned such that one or more camerasmay align with a median planevertically bisecting the utility locator device. It should be noted, the alignment may be approximate such that the position of the camerasmay be offset from the median planeby a number of inches but a frame of viewof the camera(s)may still capture images and/or videos of an asset. In other embodiments, cameras need not align with such a median plane but may be used herein to describe some possible geometries of a smartphone mounting apparatus in keeping with the present invention.

170 120 121 142 141 120 170 120 122 120 140 140 100 It should also be noted that in some embodiments the camera or cameras may be or include LiDAR or other three-dimensional imaging apparatus to generate a three-dimensional image of an asset such as the asset. The smartphone mounting apparatusmay have an openingsuch that the field of viewof the camera(s)may be unobstructed by the smartphone mounting apparatusin generating images and/or video of the assetin the locating environment. Further, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a notchsuch that, when installed, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay not block access to the data and charging port on the smartphoneallowing the smartphone, in some embodiments, to be plugged into a cable for purposes of charging and/or data transfer with the utility locator deviceor other device.

140 120 100 140 143 110 170 140 100 100 140 190 1 FIG.D 1 FIG.D As illustrated, the smartphone, supported by a smartphone mounting apparatus, and the utility locator devicemay wireless communicate data (e.g., via wireless module which may be or include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular radio, ISM radio, or the like). For instance, the smartphonemay include a wireless module() to transmit and receive data in communicating with a wireless module() in the utility locator device. Such data may be or include images and/or video of tagged assetsgenerated via the smartphone. Likewise, such data may be related to mapped utility lines and/or other data measured by the utility locator deviceand other connected devices and apparatus. It should also be noted that such data may be wirelessly communicated from the utility locator deviceand/or the smartphonewith one or more remote databases and/or other computing devices(e.g., cloud servers, other system devices or the like). In some embodiments, such data may instead be communicated via a wired connection between a smartphone and a utility locator device.

1 FIG.A 100 140 195 195 100 140 140 100 140 100 195 140 100 Still referring to, data generated by the utility locator deviceand the connected smartphonemay be communicated with one or more other system devices(e.g., transmitter device, pipe Sonde, camera control unit, pipe inspection camera, camera reel, and/or the like) and, likewise, data generated via the other system devicesmay be communicated with the utility locator deviceand the smartphone. For instance, in some embodiments, the smartphoneor utility locator devicemight turn a pipe Sonde on or off on a camera system. Likewise, the smartphoneor utility locator devicemay receive video or images from a pipe inspection camera or camera reel or camera control unit or other connected system devicefor display on the smartphoneor utility locator device.

1 FIG.A 3 3 FIGS.A andB 120 123 140 140 140 120 320 As further illustrated in, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a retainer elementto selectively retain a smartphone. For instance, magnets, brackets, and/or other mechanism which may grasp and hold onto the smartphonewhile in use but may selectively be released or otherwise cause the smartphoneto become dislodged from the smartphone mounting apparatuswhen desired by a user. It should be noted that in some embodiments a retainer element may be adjustable to accommodate smartphones of different shapes and sizes (e.g., such as that illustrated in the smartphone mounting apparatusof).

1 FIG.B 4 FIG. 120 124 140 142 141 170 105 170 420 Turning in, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include an angle orientationorienting the smartphoneat an angle such that the field of viewof the camera(s)may capture assets, such as an asset, on the ground. Likewise, the rangefinder apparatusmay simultaneously determine distance to and ultimately map the geolocation of the asset. In some embodiments, an adjustable angle orientation element may be used to facilitate an adjustable angle orientation of the field of view in capturing still and video images of an asset to be tagged at the ground surface (e.g., such as that illustrated in the smartphone mounting apparatusof).

1 FIG.C 120 125 120 107 100 125 120 126 127 128 107 100 129 120 100 108 100 Turning to, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a mounting elementallowing the smartphone mounting apparatusto be secured along a maston the utility locator device. The mounting elementof the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a semicircular groveformed on a forward mounting apparatus halfthat, in assembly, may mate with a semicircular back halfand tighten about the mastof the utility locator devicevia hand screwsand thereby secure the smartphone mounting apparatusto the utility locator device. In other embodiments, a smartphone mounting apparatus of the present invention may mount to the head of a utility locator device (e.g., a headof the utility locator device) or elsewhere on a utility locator device. In other embodiments, a mounting element may employee other types of screws and bolts, adhesives, magnetics, and/or other mechanisms and materials to mount a smartphone mounting apparatus in keeping with the present invention with a utility locator device.

1 FIG.C 1 FIG.D 1 FIG.D 5 FIG. 130 123 120 140 120 145 140 109 100 131 109 100 130 120 145 140 110 527 As further illustrated in, a wireless charging mechanismmay be included in the retainer elementof the smartphone mounting apparatusallowing the smartphoneto be magnetically retained in the smartphone mounting apparatusas well as wirelessly charging a battery() in the smartphonefrom a batteryin the utility locator devices. For instance, a wiremay carry electrical current from the battery() in the utility locator deviceto a wireless charging mechanismof the smartphone mounting apparatusin providing electrical power to a batteryin the retained smartphone. In such embodiments, communication between a smartphone and a utility locator device may occur via wireless module (e.g., a wireless module) which may be or include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular radio, ISM radio, or the like. In other embodiments, electrical power may be provided by an external battery pack (e.g., an external battery packillustrated in). In yet further embodiments, electrical power and/or data may be provided via a wired connection plugging directly into the smartphone.

1 FIG.D 100 120 100 101 102 111 155 100 111 112 Turning to, a diagram of the utility locator deviceincluding the smartphone mounting apparatusis provided. The utility locator deviceis shown having a dodecahedral antenna arrayand a receiver circuitrywhich may, for example, include one or more buffers, amplifiers, signal conditioners, analog-to-digital (A/D) converters, multiplexers, and the like to provide filtering functionality, signal conditioning, or the like for outputs to a processing elementhaving one or more processor to determine the emission positions of a plurality of electromagnetic signals, such as the electromagnetic signal, relative to the utility locator device. The processing elementmay further couple with a memory elementhaving one or more non-transitory memories for the storage of data such as that relating to mapped buried utility lines, tagged assets, photographs/video of tagged assets, and the like.

100 103 104 150 155 1100 141 140 1006 1000 11 FIG. 10 10 FIGS.A andB The utility locator devicemay further include one or more GNSSand INS(e.g., one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and the like) in determining geolocations and positions or poses at the geolocations. Such positioning data may further be used in mapping utility lines emitting electromagnetic signals such as the utility lineemitting the signal. Likewise, as disclosed with the methodof, assets or other objects identified in images of the locate environment generated by cameras (e.g., the camerasof the smartphoneand/or the camerasof the utility locator deviceillustrated in) may be correlated with like features in pre-existing maps in mapping electromagnetic signals and utility lines.

1 FIG.D 105 170 170 111 100 144 140 190 Still referring to, the rangefinder apparatusmay tag assets such as the assetand determine and map the geolocation thereof. Such position data of tagged assets may be associated with images/video of the assetgenerated device via the processing elementin the utility locator deviceand/or a processing elementin the smartphoneand/or a processing element in a remote database and/or other computing device(s)(e.g., cloud servers, other system devices, or the like) and/or processors in other connected devices.

110 100 140 143 100 110 100 143 140 100 190 A wireless module(e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular radio, ISM radio, or the like) may be included in the utility locator devicein communicating data between the smartphone(also having a wireless module) and the utility locator device. Likewise, the wireless moduleof the utility locator deviceand the wireless moduleof the smartphonemay communicate data related to mapped utility lines and/or images of tagged assets and related data and/or other data measured by the utility locator deviceand other connected devices and apparatus with one or more remote databases and/or other computing device(s)(e.g., cloud servers, other system devices, or the like).

1 FIG.D 100 140 195 195 100 140 140 100 140 100 195 140 100 Still referring to, data generated by the utility locator deviceand the connected smartphonemay be communicated with one or more other system devices(e.g., transmitter device, pipe Sonde, camera control unit, pipe inspection camera, camera reel, and/or the like) and, likewise, data generated via the other system devicesmay be communicated with the utility locator deviceand the smartphone. For instance, in some embodiments, the smartphoneor utility locator devicemight turn a pipe Sonde on or off on a camera system. Likewise, the smartphoneor utility locator devicemay receive video or images from a pipe inspection camera or camera reel or camera control unit or other connected system devicefor display on the smartphoneor utility locator device.

1000 700 1100 1100 1100 10 10 FIGS.A andB 7 FIG. 11 FIG. 11 FIG. 11 FIG. In some embodiments (e.g., the utility locator deviceof), one or more cameras disposed in a utility locator device may generate images of the locate environment that may further be communicated to a smartphone for analysis and processing. For instance, the smartphone may receive images, electromagnetic data, geospatial data, and/or other data and tag asset (e.g., via methodof), identify assets present in the locate environment and determine utility line type (e.g., via methodof), determine utility line types (e.g., via methodof), mapping of electromagnetic signals and utility lines (e.g., via methodof), and other processing/analysis. It should be noted that in such embodiments that a smartphone may or may not be held in smartphone mounting apparatus of the present disclosure.

1 FIG.D 109 100 100 131 130 120 109 Still referring to, the batteryof the utility locator devicemay distribute electrical power to the various powered element of the utility locator deviceas well as to, via the wire, the wireless charging mechanismof the smartphone mounting apparatus. The batterymay be or share aspects with those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,090,498, issued Oct. 2, 2018, entitled MODULAR BATTERY PACK APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS INCLUDING VIRAL DATA AND/OR CODE TRANSFER; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/255,524, filed Jan. 23, 2019, entitled RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK ONBOARD CHARGE STATE INDICATION METHODS AND APPARATUS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/837,923, filed Apr. 1, 2020, entitled MODULAR BATTERY PACK APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS INCLUDING VIRAL DATA AND/OR CODE TRANSFER; U.S. Pat. No. 11,171,369, issued Nov. 9, 2021, entitled MODULAR BATTERY PACK APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 11,894,707, issued Feb. 6, 2024, entitled RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK ONBOARD CHARGE STATE INDICATION METHODS AND APPARATUS; and/or other devices disclosed in the incorporated patents and applications. The content of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

1 FIG.D 100 100 113 114 115 140 100 115 Still referring to, the utility locator devicemay include one or more elements to communicate information to a user information regarding positions and depths of buried utility lines, tagged assets, other device or system information, and the like. For instance, the utility locator devicemay include one or more speakers, haptic feedback mechanisms, as well as a displayand the like. In some embodiments, the image and/or video of tagged assets may be communicated from the smartphoneto the utility locator deviceand shown on the display.

2 FIG. 1 FIG.D 215 115 215 216 217 218 216 215 219 220 Turning to, an exemplary displayis illustrated which may be or share aspects with the displayof. As shown, the displaymay show a mapincluding positions of one more utility lines such as a utility line. Further, an asset imagewhich may be shown in situ in the map. The displaymay further include various device data such as the battery level indicator, a frequency suiteindicating the frequency suites measured, and the like.

3 3 FIGS.A andB 1 1 FIGS.A-D 1 1 1 1 FIGS.A,B,C, andD 1 1 1 1 FIGS.A,B,C, andD 1 FIG.A 1 FIG.A 1 FIG.A 320 120 320 320 323 320 321 320 322 320 100 320 323 140 330 323 320 324 170 320 325 320 107 100 108 100 330 320 320 In some embodiments in keeping with the present disclosure may adjust to accommodate different makes and models of smartphones that may be different sizes. Turning to, a smartphone mounting apparatusin keeping with the current disclosure which may be or share aspects with the smartphone mounting apparatusrespectively as disclosed inwith the exception that the smartphone mounting apparatusmay adjust to accommodate different sized smartphones. For instance, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a retainer elementthat may extend outward in two directions thus accommodating different makes and models of smartphones of different sizes. The smartphone mounting apparatusmay include an openingdimensioned to accommodate a variety of different makes and models of smartphones that may have different numbers and sizes of cameras in various positions. Further, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a notchsuch that when installed the smartphone mounting apparatusmay not block access to the data and charging port on a smartphone allowing the smartphone to be plugged into a cable for purposes of charging and/or data transfer with a utility locator device (e.g., the utility locator deviceof) or other device. The smartphone mounting apparatusmay further include a retainer elementto selectively retain a smartphone (e.g., the smartphoneof). A wireless charging mechanismmay be included in the retainer elementto magnetically retain and charge the battery of a smartphone. The smartphone mounting apparatusmay further include an angle orientationorienting a smartphone at an angle such that the field of view of the camera(s) of a retained smartphone may capture assets on the ground (e.g., the assetof). Further, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a mounting elementallowing the smartphone mounting apparatusto be secured along a mast on a utility locator device (e.g., the mastof the utility locator deviceillustrated in) or, in other embodiments, a head of the utility locator device (e.g., the headof the utility locator deviceillustrated in) or other location on a utility locator device. A wireless charging mechanismmay be included in the smartphone mounting apparatusallowing a smartphone to be magnetically retained in the smartphone mounting apparatusas well as wirelessly charging a battery in the smartphone from other power source (e.g., the battery in a coupled utility locator device or the like).

4 FIG. 1 1 FIGS.A-D 400 420 400 420 100 120 420 420 423 440 424 440 442 441 470 470 420 425 420 407 400 408 400 400 424 442 441 440 420 424 470 442 441 440 420 In some embodiments in keeping with the present disclosure the angle orientation may be adjustable via an adjustable angle orientation element to correct the orientation of the field of view of a smartphones cameras when retained in a smartphone mounting apparatus. Turning to, a utility locator deviceis illustrated having a smartphone mounting apparatusin keeping with the current disclosure. The utility locator deviceand the smartphone mounting apparatusmay be or share aspects with the utility locator deviceand the smartphone mounting apparatusrespectively as disclosed inwith the exception that the angle at which the smartphone mounting apparatusmay be oriented is adjustable. For instance, The smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a retainer elementto selectively retain a smartphoneand an adjustable angle orientation elementorienting the smartphoneat an angle such that the field of viewof the camera(s)may capture assets, such as an asset, on the ground. It should be noted that in some embodiments the camera or cameras may be or include LiDAR or other three-dimensional imaging apparatus to generate a three-dimensional image of an asset such as the asset. Further, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a mounting elementallowing the smartphone mounting apparatusto be secured along a maston the utility locator deviceor, in other embodiments, a headof the utility locator deviceor other location on the utility locator device. The adjustable angle orientation elementmay adjust allowing the field of viewof the camera(s)of the smartphonein the smartphone mounting apparatus. For instance, a user may make corrections adjusting the adjustable angle orientation elementto ensure the assetis captured in the field of viewof the camera(s)of the smartphonewhen retained by the smartphone mounting apparatus. It should be noted that in some embodiments the camera or cameras may be or include LiDAR or other three-dimensional imaging apparatus to generate a three-dimensional image of an asset. In embodiments wherein the angle orientation is adjustable, the orientation of the smartphone may be determined via INS in the smartphone and communicated to the utility locator device. In yet further embodiments, an adjustable angle orientation element may be motorized (not illustrated) and adjusting of the frame of view of cameras may be adjusted by a user at the utility locator device or may automatically adjust based on keeping the spot measured by a rangefinder apparatus in the field of view of the cameras.

5 FIG. 1 1 FIGS.A-D 5 FIG. 1 FIG.A 500 520 500 520 100 120 527 540 527 520 526 520 521 523 540 541 540 520 522 520 540 528 540 527 520 524 170 520 525 520 507 500 508 500 In some embodiments in keeping with the present disclosure a smartphone mounting apparatus may include a battery for charging a retained smartphone. Turning to, a utility locator deviceis illustrated having a smartphone mounting apparatusin keeping with the current disclosure. The utility locator deviceand the smartphone mounting apparatusmay be or share aspects with the utility locator deviceand the smartphone mounting apparatusrespectively as disclosed inwith the addition of a battery packfor charging a smartphone(largely obscured in). The battery packmay secure to the smartphone mounting apparatusvia a strap. The smartphone mounting apparatusmay further include an openingsuch that a retainer elementconfigured to selectively retain the smartphonemay not obstruct the field of view of one or more camerasof the smartphone. Further, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a notchsuch that when installed the smartphone mounting apparatusmay not block access to the data and charging port on a smartphone allowing the smartphoneto be plugged into a cablefor purposes of charging the smartphonevia the battery pack. The smartphone mounting apparatusmay further include an angle orientationorienting a smartphone at an angle such that the field of view of the camera(s) of a retained smartphone may capture assets on the ground (e.g., the assetof). Further, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a mounting elementallowing the smartphone mounting apparatusto be secured along a maston the utility locator deviceor, in other embodiments, a headof the utility locator deviceor other location on a utility locator device.

A smartphone mounting apparatus in keeping with the present disclosure may couple to the head or elsewhere on a utility locator device besides the mast of a utility locator device. In some such embodiments, the user interface of the smartphone may be viewable and otherwise accessible to the user while carrying the utility locator device.

6 6 FIGS.A andB 1 1 FIGS.A-D 6 FIG.A 6 FIG.A 6 FIG.B 6 FIG.A 6 FIG.A 6 FIG.B 6 FIG.B 6 FIG.B 600 620 600 620 100 120 620 608 600 607 620 621 623 640 642 641 640 620 622 620 640 620 624 642 641 640 670 670 620 625 620 608 600 620 626 626 640 Turning to, a utility locator deviceis illustrated having a smartphone mounting apparatusin keeping with the current disclosure. The utility locator deviceand the smartphone mounting apparatusmay be or share aspects with the utility locator deviceand the smartphone mounting apparatusrespectively as disclosed inwherein the smartphone mounting apparatusis mounted vertically to a headon the utility locator devicerather than along a mast. The smartphone mounting apparatusmay further include an opening() such that a retainer element() configured to selectively retain the smartphonemay not obstruct a field of view() of one or more camerason a smartphone. Further, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a notch() such that when installed the smartphone mounting apparatusmay not block access to the data and charging port on the smartphone. The smartphone mounting apparatusmay further include an angle orientation() orienting a smartphone at an angle such that the field of view() of the camera(s)of the retained smartphonemay capture asset() on the ground. It should be noted that in some embodiments the camera or cameras may be or include LiDAR or other three-dimensional imaging apparatus to generate a three-dimensional image of an asset such as the asset(). Further, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a mounting elementallowing the smartphone mounting apparatusto be secured to the headof utility locator device. Optionally, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a sun hood. The sun hoodmay shield the display of the smartphonefrom sunlight.

6 FIG.B 600 640 620 690 690 640 600 640 690 600 670 605 670 642 641 670 650 655 Turning to, the utility locator devicehaving the smartphoneretained in the smartphone mounting apparatusis illustrated being held by a user. As illustrated, the usermay view and access the user interface of the smartphonewhile holding the utility locator deviceas intended. Having the smartphoneaccessible to the userholding the user interface devicemay more readily facilitate tagging of assets such as the assettagged via a rangefinder apparatusin the utility locator device while also capturing the assetin the field of viewof the camerasin generating images and/or video of the assetand simultaneously determining and mapping one or more utility lines via electromagnetic signals such as a utility linevia an electromagnetic signal.

7 FIG. 1 1 FIGS.A-D 3 3 FIGS.A andB 5 FIG. 6 6 FIGS.A andB 4 FIG. 700 705 700 120 320 520 620 420 705 Turning to, an asset tagging methodis disclosed employing a smartphone retained in a smartphone mounting apparatus for tagging assets in the locator environment. In a stepthe methodmay include mounting a smartphone in a smartphone mounting apparatus coupled in a known position and orientation on a utility locator device. In some embodiments, the smartphone mounting apparatus may be at a fixed position and orientation as illustrated with the smartphone mounting apparatusof, the smartphone mapping apparatusof, the smartphone mounting apparatusof, and the smartphone mounting apparatusof. In other embodiments, such as with the smartphone mounting apparatusof, the angle orientation may be adjustable. In such embodiments, the stepmay include adjusting the angle orientation of the smartphone mounting apparatus so that the frame of view of the camera(s) includes the spot measured by the rangefinder apparatus, determining the angle of orientation the smartphone retained in the smartphone mounting apparatus to which the smartphone mounting apparatus has been adjusted, and communicating the angle orientation information to the utility locator device. For instance, a smartphone having an INS, gyroscopic sensor, accelerometers, and/or like sensors for determining orientation or pose may determine the angle orientation and communicate this information to the utility locator device (e.g., via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular radio, ISM, a wired connection, or the like).

710 In an optional step, the method may include communicating the smartphone and/or camera specific characteristics to the utility locator device and/or other processing device. For instance, the camera or cameras of a smartphone may have known optical characteristics that may vary from model to model of smartphone. The smartphone and/or camera specific characteristics may be or include a phone model and/or serial number and/or like information that may identify the specific optical characteristics of the particular smartphone. In yet further embodiments, such data may be determined via the metadata of the images and/or video determined by the smartphone camera(s).

715 700 In a step, the methodmay include performing a utility locating operation via the utility locator device. For instance, a user may carry the utility locator device through a locate area measuring electromagnetic signals.

720 700 710 In a step, the methodmay include identifying assets to be tagged and actuating asset tagging to generate asset tagging data that includes the geolocation of assets. For instance, the asset may be tagged via a laser rangefinder apparatus. A user may press a button, give a voice command, or otherwise initiated the asset tagging procedure. In such embodiments, the orientation of the smartphone mounting apparatus may capture the laser on the asset in the field of view of the smartphone when installed. In some embodiments, image recognition or artificial intelligence may be used to identify particular objects or attributes in the locate environment for tagging. Likewise, anomalous or particular electromagnetic signal signature patterns measured at the utility locator device may initiate tagging of assets. In some embodiments, the geolocation of the asset may be determined through the known geolocation and orientation/pose data of the utility locator device and/or the connected smartphone. For instance, the utility locator device and/or the smartphone may determine orientation/pose at a position such that the position of an asset may be estimated relative to the utility locator device and/or smartphone. Such a position may be refined or more accurately calculated where the specific optical characteristics of the camera(s) are known (e.g., via the step). Further, as the geolocation of the utility locator device and/or smartphone may be determined through GNSS or the like, the geolocation of the asset may be determined.

725 700 725 1006 1000 700 728 10 10 FIGS.A andB In a step, the methodmay include capturing video and/or still images of the asset on the smartphone retained in the smartphone mounting apparatus. It should be noted that in some embodiments the camera or cameras may be or include LiDAR or other three-dimensional imaging apparatus to generate a three-dimensional image of an asset. In some embodiments, the stepmay be automated when the tagging procedure is initiated. In other embodiments, a user may, through the push of a button, providing a voice command, or like input, command the smartphone to capture the images(s) and/or video of the asset. In other embodiments, images may instead or additionally be generated via one or more cameras disposed in the utility locator device (e.g., the camerasof the utility locator deviceillustrated in). In such embodiments, the images may be communicated to a smartphone, which may or may not be in a smartphone mounting apparatus, for processing and carrying out the steps of the method. In an optional step, the images may be orthorectified. The orthorectification of images may occur in real-time or near real-time.

730 700 1000 10 10 FIGS.A andB In an optional step, the methodmay include communicating the video and/or still images of the asset to the utility locator device, smartphone, remote database or cloud server, and/or other processing device(s) and/or directly to the internet. For instance, the video and/or still images of the asset may be communicated to the utility locator device from the smartphone via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular radio, ISM, a wired connection, or the like. In such embodiments, processing of images and other data may occur in the utility locator device. In other embodiments, such processing may occur in the smartphone. Further, in some embodiments such as with the utility locator deviceof, images may instead be generated via one or more cameras disposed in a utility locator device and communicated to a smartphone for processing. In even further embodiments, such processing may occur in a remote database or cloud computing system and/or other system device. In other embodiments, images and electromagnetic data maybe communicated to a remote database and/or other computing device(s) (e.g., cloud server or the like) and/or other system device (e.g., transmitter device, base station, camera control unit, pipe inspection camera, camera reel, and/or the like) for processing.

735 700 740 700 In a step, the methodmay include correlating the video and/or still images of the asset with the geolocation of the asset. In a step, the methodmay include correlating electromagnetic data and associated utility line position(s) generated by the utility locator device with the correlated video/images and geolocations of assets.

745 700 In a step, the methodmay include correlating any notes or other user input data with the correlated video/images and geolocations of assets and electromagnetic signal data and associated utility line positions. For instance, a user may type or provide a voice annotation to the tagged asset. Such voice annotated tagged assets may be U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/354,926, filed Jul. 19, 2023, entitled NATURAL VOICE UTILITY ASSET ANNOTATION SYSTEM; and/or other devices disclosed in the incorporated patents and applications. The content of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

750 In an optional step, corrections to the asset and/or associated utility line geolocations may be made based, fully or in part, on smartphone and/or camera specific characteristics. For instance, knowing the specific optical characteristics associated with each image of an asset may, alone or in tandem with data from other sources (e.g., GNSS and/or INS in the utility locator device and/or smartphone or the like), to determine a more accurate position/geolocation of the asset and/or utility line(s).

755 700 760 700 700 715 In a step, the methodmay include communicating data relating to the correlated video/images and geolocations of assets and electromagnetic data and associated utility line position(s) to a remote database and/or other computing device. For instance, the video and/or still images of the asset and corresponding asset tagging data as well as mapped utility lines may be communicated to a cloud computer and/or other computing device and/or other system device(s). In a step, the methodmay include storing data relating to the correlated video/images and geolocations of assets and electromagnetic data and associated utility line position(s) in one or more non-transitory memories. The methodmay optionally repeat at steptagging other assets in the locating environment until the locating operation has been completed.

8 8 FIGS.A andB 1 1 FIGS.A-D 8 8 8 FIGS.A,C, andD 8 8 8 FIGS.A,C, andD 8 FIG.B 8 8 8 FIGS.A,C, andD 8 8 8 FIGS.A,C, andD 8 8 8 FIGS.A,C, andD 8 8 8 FIGS.A,C, andD 8 8 8 FIGS.A,C, andD 8 8 FIGS.C andD 8 FIG.B 8 FIG.B 8 FIG.B 800 820 800 820 100 120 820 808 800 807 820 821 823 840 842 841 840 823 846 840 830 820 822 820 822 840 840 800 831 820 824 842 841 840 870 870 820 825 820 808 800 Turning to, a utility locator deviceis illustrated having a smartphone mounting apparatusin keeping with the current disclosure. The utility locator deviceand the smartphone mounting apparatusmay be or share aspects with the utility locator deviceand the smartphone mounting apparatusrespectively as disclosed inwherein the smartphone mounting apparatusis mounted horizontally to a headon the utility locator devicerather than along a mast. The smartphone mounting apparatusmay further include an opening() such that a retainer element() configured to selectively retain the smartphonemay not obstruct a field of view() of one or more camerason a smartphone. For instance, the retainer element() may include one or more magnets() to magnetically retain the smartphonein addition to a wireless charging mechanism(). The smartphone mounting apparatusmay likewise include a notch() such that when installed the smartphone mounting apparatusthe notch() may not block access to the data and charging port on the smartphoneallowing the smartphoneto optionally be charged and/or communicate data from the utility locator devicevia a wired connector(). The smartphone mounting apparatusmay further include an angle orientationorienting a smartphone at an angle such that the field of view() of the camera(s)of the retained smartphonemay capture asset() on the ground. It should be noted that in some embodiments the camera or cameras may be or include LiDAR or other three-dimensional imaging apparatus to generate a three-dimensional image of an asset such as the asset(). Further, the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a mounting elementallowing the smartphone mounting apparatusto be secured to the headof utility locator device.

8 FIG.B 800 840 820 890 890 840 800 840 890 800 870 805 800 870 842 841 870 850 855 800 840 890 800 840 890 840 800 Turning to, the utility locator devicehaving the smartphoneretained in the smartphone mounting apparatusis illustrated being held by a user. As illustrated, the usermay view and access the user interface of the smartphonewhile holding the utility locator deviceas intended. Having the smartphoneaccessible to the userholding the user interface devicemay readily facilitate tagging of assets such as the assettagged via a rangefinder apparatusin the utility locator devicewhile also capturing the assetin the field of viewof the camerasin generating images and/or video of the assetand simultaneously determining and mapping one or more utility lines via electromagnetic signals such as a utility linevia an electromagnetic signal. It should be noted, that in some embodiment such as with the utility locator deviceand the smartphone, user input for either device may control aspects of the other device. For instance, the usermay input on the utility locator deviceto control aspects of the smartphoneand, likewise the usermay input on the smartphoneto control aspects of the utility locator device.

8 8 FIGS.C andD 8 FIG.D 820 808 800 825 827 828 829 808 800 825 809 808 800 840 823 846 847 840 Turning to, the smartphone mounting apparatusis shown in greater detail in relation to the headon the utility locator device. As illustrated, the mounting elementmay include a top mounting halfand a bottom mounting halfthat may couple together in assembly view a series of screws() and be secured to the headof the utility locator deviceby the mounting elementgrasping onto a lipon the headof the utility locator device. Further, the smartphonemay slide into the retainer elementand be held therein via the magnetsand a lip elementsholding along the edges of the smartphone.

8 8 FIGS.C andD 8 FIG.B 8 FIG.B 8 FIG.B 8 FIG.B 800 815 840 845 850 870 815 800 845 840 800 840 815 800 845 840 890 800 840 890 840 800 Still referring to, the utility locator devicemay have a displayand the smartphonemay have a displaythat may display various aspects involved with locating and mapping utility lines (e.g., the utility lineof) as well as displaying images and video of assets (e.g., the assetof) tagged in the locating environment. As such, the displayof the utility locator deviceand the displayof the smartphonemay share displaying various information and data. Further, a user may input on either utility locator deviceand/or the smartphoneto control aspects of the other. For instance, the displayof the utility locator deviceand the displayof the smartphonemay be touch screens and thus a user (e.g., the userof) may input on the utility locator deviceto control aspects of the smartphoneand, likewise, the user (e.g., the userof) may input on the smartphoneto control aspects of the utility locator device.

8 8 FIGS.C andD 8 FIG.D 823 826 823 825 828 825 823 820 832 830 823 840 832 830 Still referring to, the retainer elementmay be exchanged for other retainer elements of different dimensions to accommodate other sizes of smartphones of different makes which may be from different manufacturers. For instance, a series of bolts() may be removed to decouple the retainer elementfrom the mounting elementfurther allowing a different retainer element generally having different dimensions of a different smartphone to be installed and couple to the bottom mounting halfof the mounting element. In other embodiments, hand bolts, snaps, keying mechanisms, and/or other coupling mechanisms may be used to couple and decouple a retaining element to a mounting element in a smartphone mounting apparatus in keeping with the present invention. In embodiments, a retainer element such as with the retainer elementof the smartphone mounting apparatusmay include a grooveallowing the wireless charging mechanismto pass through the retainer elementin charging a smartphone. The groovemay allow the wireless charging mechanismto optionally be reused in charging different smartphones in conjunction another different retainer element having a similar pass through groove.

9 FIG. 900 905 900 910 900 915 900 900 900 920 910 915 925 930 900 935 900 940 900 Turning to, a locate environment scanning methodemploying a smartphone mounting apparatus is disclosed. In a step, the methodmay include mounting a smartphone in a smartphone mounting apparatus secured in a known position and orientation on a utility locator device. In a step, the methodmay include performing a utility locating operation with the utility locator device. In a parallel step, the methodmay include generating images via the camera(s) of the smartphone and/or camera(s) in the utility locator device at known intervals. For instance, the interval may be based on timing or in change of position/geolocation. It should be noted, in embodiments where images are generated at the utility locator device, such images may be communicated to the smartphone for processing and the methodmay be carried out via the smartphone. Likewise, in some embodiments where images are generated at the smartphone, such images may be communicated to the utility locator device for processing and the methodmay be carried out via the utility locator device. Further, the images may be communicated to a remote database and/or other computing device(s) (e.g., cloud server or the like) and/or other system device(s) (e.g., transmitter device, base station, camera control unit, pipe inspection camera, camera reel, and/or the like) for processing. In an optional stepsubsequent to stepsand, assets may be identified from the images. In some embodiments, the images may be three-dimensional (e.g., via LiDAR or other three-dimensional imaging system). In a step, the method may include associating each image with a geolocation of the image determined via the smartphone or utility locator device. In an optional step, the methodmay include generating a map of the locate environment from the images and associated geolocations. Such a map may include the positions/geolocations of utility lines. In some embodiments, three-dimensional images may be used to generate a topographical map of the locate environment that may include utility line positions/geolocations. In an optional step, the methodmay include communicating data relating to the images and associated geolocations and associated maps and related data to a remote database and/or other computing device. In a step, the methodmay include storing, via one or more non-transitory memories, images and associated geolocations and associated maps and related data.

In some embodiments, the utility locator device may include one or more cameras and analyzing and processing of images may be carried out on a smartphone. Likewise, analyzing and processing of images may instead or additionally occur on a remote database and/or other computing device(s) (e.g., cloud server or the like) and/or other system device (e.g., laptops, tablets, smartphones, remote servers, signal transmitters, base stations, other locating specific devices and the like).

10 10 FIGS.A andB 10 FIG.B 1 1 1 1 FIGS.A,B,C, andD 1000 1020 1040 1000 1001 1002 1000 1055 1050 1000 100 Turning to, a utility locator deviceis illustrated which may optionally include a smartphone mounting apparatusof the present invention to selectively retain a smartphone. The utility locator devicemay have an antenna arrayand an associated receiver() to measure electromagnetic signals across a range of frequencies and determine the position of utility lines relative to the utility locator device, such as a signalemitted by a utility line. The utility locator devicemay be or share aspects with the utility locator deviceofand/or the utility locator devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,332,901, issued Feb. 19, 2008, entitled LOCATOR WITH APPARENT DEPTH INDICATION; U.S. Pat. No. 8,264,226, issued Sep. 11, 2012, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCATING BURIED PIPES AND CABLES WITH A MAN PORTABLE LOCATOR AND A TRANSMITTER IN A MESH NETWORK; U.S. Pat. No. 9,057,754, issued Jun. 16, 2015, entitled ECONOMICAL MAGNETIC LOCATOR APPARATUS AND METHOD; U.S. Pat. No. 9,435,907, issued Sep. 6, 2016, entitled PHASE SYNCHRONIZED BURIED OBJECT LOCATOR APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/250,666, filed Mar. 27, 2018, entitled PHASE-SYNCHRONIZED BURIED OBJECT TRANSMITTER AND LOCATOR METHODS AND APPARATUS; U.S. Pat. No. 10,162,074, issued Dec. 25, 2018, entitled UTILITY LOCATORS WITH RETRACTABLE SUPPORT STRUCTURES AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF; U.S. Pat. No. 10,670,766, issued Jun. 2, 2020, entitled UTILITY LOCATING SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS USING RADIO BROADCAST SIGNALS; U.S. Pat. No. 10,690,795, issued Jun. 23, 2020, entitled LOCATING DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS USING FREQUENCY SUITES FOR UTILITY DETECTION; and U.S. Pat. No. 10,809,408, issued Oct. 20, 2020, entitled DUAL SENSED LOCATING SYSTEMS AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. D922,885, issued Jun. 22, 2021, entitled BURIED OBJECT LOCATOR; U.S. Pat. No. 11,196,181, issued Dec. 7, 2021, entitled LOW COST, HIGH PERFORMANCE SIGNAL PROCESSING IN A MAGNETIC-FIELD SENSING BURIED UTILITY LOCATOR SYSTEM; and/or others disclosed in the incorporated patents and applications. The content of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

1000 1050 1000 1003 1065 1060 1000 1000 1004 1000 10 FIG.B The utility locator devicemay further determine geolocations and orientation/pose at those geolocations, referred to herein as “geospatial data,” in order to further map buried utility lines such as the utility line. For instance, the utility locator devicemay include one or more GNSSto receive navigation signalsfrom a plurality of GNSS satellitesin determining geolocations of the utility locator device. Further, the utility locator devicemay include an inertial navigation system (INS)() and/or other apparatus to determine the position and orientation or pose of the utility locator devicein the world frame. Such position and orientation/pose determining apparatus may be or share aspects with those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,081,109, issued Jul. 14, 2015, entitled GROUND-TRACKING DEVICES FOR USE WITH A MAPPING LOCATOR; U.S. Pat. No. 9,341,740, issued May 17, 2016, entitled OPTICAL GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 9,411,067, issued Aug. 9, 2016, entitled GROUND-TRACKING SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS; U.S. Pat. No. 9,784,837, issued Oct. 10, 2017, entitled OPTICAL GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/811,361, filed Nov. 13, 2017, entitled OPTICAL GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 9,928,613, issued Mar. 27, 2018, entitled GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/430,225, filed Jun. 3, 2019, entitled MAGNETIC SENSING GROUND TRACKING DEVICES AND METHODS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/502,670, filed Oct. 14, 2021, entitled ELECTRONIC MARKER-BASED NAVIGATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USE IN GNSS-DEPRIVED ENVIRONMENTS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/728,949, filed Apr. 25, 2022, entitled BURIED UTILITY LOCATOR GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 11,428,814, issued Aug. 30, 2022, entitled OPTICAL GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR USE WITH BURIED OBJECT UTILITY LOCATORS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/930,029, filed Sep. 6, 2022, entitled GNSS POSITIONING METHODS AND DEVICES USING PPP-RTK, RTK, SSR, OR LIKE CORRECTION DATA; U.S. Pat. No. 11,953,643, issued Apr. 9, 2024, entitled MAP GENERATION BASED ON UTILITY LINE POSITION AND ORIENTATION ESTIMATES; U.S. Pat. No. 11,988,755, issued May 21, 2024, entitled UTILITY LOCATING DEVICES EMPLOYING MULTIPLE SPACED APART GNSS ANTENNAS; and/or others disclosed in the incorporated patents and applications. The content of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

1000 1005 1000 1070 1005 Further, the utility locator devicemay include a rangefinder apparatusfor measuring distances to assets/objects from the utility locator deviceand/or tagging assets in the locating environment such as an asset. The rangefinder apparatusmay be or share aspects with U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/845,290, filed Jun. 21, 2022, entitled DAYLIGHT VISIBLE AND MULTI-SPECTRAL LASER RANGEFINDERS AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS AND UTILITY LOCATOR DEVICES; U.S. Pat. No. 11,397,274, issued Jul. 26, 2022, entitled TRACKED DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; and/or other devices disclosed in the incorporated patents and applications. The content of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

10 FIG.B 1040 100 1040 1043 1010 1070 1006 1000 1000 1400 1090 1070 1070 Turning to, the smartphoneand the utility locator devicemay wireless communicate data (e.g., via wireless module which may be or include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular radio, ISM radio, or the like). For instance, the smartphonemay include a wireless moduleto transmit and receive data in communicating with a wireless modulein the utility locator device. Such data may be or include images and/or videos of tagged assetsand/or other images of the locate environment which may be generated via one or more camerasin the utility locator device. Likewise, such data may be related to mapped utility lines and/or data from other connected devices and apparatus. It should also be noted that such data may be wirelessly communicated from the utility locator deviceand/or the smartphonewith one or more remote databases and/or other computing devices(e.g., cloud servers, other system devices or the like). It should also be noted that in some embodiments the camera(s)may be or include LiDAR or other three-dimensional imaging apparatus to generate a three-dimensional image of objects or assets such as the asset.

10 FIG.B 1000 1040 1095 1095 1000 1040 1040 1000 1040 1000 1095 1040 1000 Still referring to, data generated by the utility locator deviceand the connected smartphonemay be communicated with one or more other system devices(e.g., transmitter device, pipe Sonde, camera control unit, pipe inspection camera, camera reel, and/or the like) and, likewise, data generated via the other system devicesmay be communicated with the utility locator deviceand the smartphone. For instance, in some embodiments, the smartphoneor utility locator devicemight turn a pipe Sonde on or off on a camera system. Likewise, the smartphoneor utility locator devicemay receive video or images from a pipe inspection camera or camera reel or camera control unit or other connected system devicefor display on the smartphoneor utility locator device.

1000 1001 1002 1011 1055 1000 1011 1012 The utility locator deviceis shown having a dodecahedral antenna arrayand a receiver circuitrywhich may, for example, include one or more buffers, amplifiers, signal conditioners, analog-to-digital (A/D) converters, multiplexers, and the like to provide filtering functionality, signal conditioning, or the like for outputs to a processing elementhaving one or more processor to determine the emission positions of a plurality of electromagnetic signals, such as the electromagnetic signal, relative to the utility locator device. The processing elementmay further couple with a memory elementhaving one or more non-transitory memories for the storage of data such as that relating to mapped buried utility lines, tagged assets, photographs/video of tagged assets, images of the locate environment, and the like.

1000 1003 1004 1050 1055 1100 141 140 1006 1000 11 FIG. 10 10 FIGS.A andB The utility locator devicemay further include one or more GNSSand INS(e.g., one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and the like) in determining geolocations and positions or poses at the geolocations. Such positioning data may further be used in mapping utility lines emitting electromagnetic signals such as the utility lineemitting the signal. Likewise, as disclosed with the methodof, assets or other objects identified in images of the locate environment generated by cameras (e.g., the camerasof the smartphoneand/or the camerasof the utility locator deviceillustrated in) may be correlated with like features in pre-existing maps in mapping electromagnetic signals and utility lines.

10 FIG.B 1005 1070 1070 1011 1000 1044 1400 1090 Still referring to, the rangefinder apparatusmay measure distances to assets such as the assetand determine and map the geolocation thereof. Such position data of tagged assets may be associated with images/video of the assetgenerated device via the processing elementin the utility locator deviceand/or a processing elementin the smartphoneand/or a processing element in a remote server and/or remote device(s)(e.g., cloud servers, other system devices, or the like) and/or processors in other connected devices.

1010 1000 1040 1043 1000 1000 1070 1040 1100 1040 1010 1000 1043 1040 1090 1095 11 FIG. A wireless module(e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular radio, ISM radio, or the like) may be included in the utility locator deviceto communicate data between the smartphone(also having a wireless module) and the utility locator device. For instance, the utility locator devicemay generate images of the locating environment and/or the assetand communicate such data to the smartphonefor analyzing and processing of images (e.g., via the methodof). Likewise, electromagnetic signal data, geospatial data, mapping data, and the like may be communicated to the smartphoneand/or the wireless moduleof the utility locator deviceand the wireless moduleof the smartphoneand/or one or more remote databases and/or other computing device(s)(e.g., cloud servers, other system devices, or the like) and/or other system devices(e.g., laptops, tablets, smartphones, remote servers, signal transmitters, base stations, other locating specific devices and the like).

1000 700 1100 1100 1100 10 10 FIGS.A andB 7 FIG. 11 FIG. 11 FIG. 11 FIG. In some embodiments (e.g., the utility locator deviceof), one or more cameras disposed in a utility locator device may generate images of the locate environment that may further be communicated to a smartphone for analysis and processing. For instance, the smartphone may receive images, electromagnetic data, geospatial data, and/or other data and tag asset (e.g., via methodof), identify assets present in the locate environment and determine utility line type (e.g., via methodof), determine utility line types (e.g., via methodof), mapping of electromagnetic signals and utility lines (e.g., via methodof), and other processing/analysis. It should be noted that in such embodiments that a smartphone may or may not be held in smartphone mounting apparatus of the present disclosure.

10 FIG.B 1009 1000 1000 1009 Still referring to, the batteryof the utility locator devicemay distribute electrical power to the various powered element of the utility locator device. The batterymay be or share aspects with those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,090,498, issued Oct. 2, 2018, entitled MODULAR BATTERY PACK APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS INCLUDING VIRAL DATA AND/OR CODE TRANSFER; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/255,524, filed Jan. 23, 2019, entitled RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK ONBOARD CHARGE STATE INDICATION METHODS AND APPARATUS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/837,923, filed Apr. 1, 2020, entitled MODULAR BATTERY PACK APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS INCLUDING VIRAL DATA AND/OR CODE TRANSFER; U.S. Pat. No. 11,171,369, issued Nov. 9, 2021, entitled MODULAR BATTERY PACK APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS; U.S. Pat. No. 11,894,707, issued Feb. 6, 2024, entitled RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK ONBOARD CHARGE STATE INDICATION METHODS AND APPARATUS; and/or other devices disclosed in the incorporated patents and applications. The content of each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

10 FIG.B 1000 1000 1013 1014 1015 1015 Still referring to, the utility locator devicemay include one or more elements to communicate information to a user information regarding positions and depths of buried utility lines, tagged assets, other device or system information, and the like. For instance, the utility locator devicemay include one or more speakers, haptic feedback mechanisms, as well as a displayand the like. In some embodiments, the image and/or video of tagged assets may be shown on the display.

11 FIG. 1200 FIG. 1100 1102 1100 1104 1100 1106 1100 1108 1102 1104 1106 1100 1110 1100 1112 1114 1100 1116 1100 1118 1100 1224 1120 1100 1122 1100 1122 1124 1100 1122 1124 1100 Turning to, a mapping methodis disclosed. In a step, the methodmay include moving about a locate environment measuring electromagnetic signals via a utility locator device generating electromagnetic signal data. In a parallel step, the methodmay include determining geospatial data describing the pose/orientations and geolocations of the utility locator device in a world coordinate system. In another parallel step, the methodmay include generating images of the locate environment at a known position relative to the utility locator device. In stepsubsequent to the steps,, and, the methodmay include mapping electromagnetic signal data based on the geospatial data of the utility locator device. In an optional step, the methodmay include communicating images and/or electromagnetic signal data to a smartphone, remote database, and/or other system device. For instance, such data and images generated via the utility locator device may be analyzed and processed and/or stored via one or more wirelessly connected devices. In an optional step, images may be orthorectified. The orthorectification of images may occur in real-time or near real-time. In a step, the methodmay include identifying objects/assets in the images that correlate or match those in a pre-existing digital map. For instance, image recognition or artificial intelligence or like techniques may be used to identify particular assets or objects in images of the locate environment. In a step, the methodmay include determining the geolocations of objects/assets in the images of the locate environment. For instance, rangefinder data and geospatial data determined at the utility locator device may be used to determine the position of the assets/objects in the world frame. In a step, the methodmay include determining an offset value describing the distance and direction between the geolocations of objects/assets in the images of the locate environment and the geolocations of the objects/assets in the pre-existing digital map. Such an offset value is further illustrated as the offset valuein. In a step, the methodmay include applying the offset values in both distance and direction to mapped electromagnetic signal data to generate an updated utility map. In an optional step, the methodmay include associating utility line(s) with a utility line type (e.g., gas, water, sewer, power, telecommunications, and the like). For instance, the stepmay utilize image recognition or like techniques to determine information from the locate environment images to determine that a utility line might be classified as a utility line type. Likewise, user input may be used to classify a utility line as being a particular utility type. In another optional step, the methodmay include associating the utility line type determined in stepwith electromagnetic signal data. For instance, patterns in the electromagnetic signal data (e.g., patterns in the measured frequencies, harmonic frequencies, amplitude, phases, and the like) may be identified and used to further identify other utility lines of the same type. In a step, the methodmay include storing electromagnetic signal data, geospatial data, images of the locate environment, identified object/assets, offset values, utility line classifications and associated electromagnetic signal patterns, and updated utility maps in one or more non-transitory memories. Such data may be stored in the utility locator device, smartphone (which may or may not be held in a smartphone mounting apparatus), a remote database and/or other computing device(s) (e.g., cloud server or the like) and/or other system device (e.g., transmitter device, base station, camera control unit, pipe inspection camera, camera reel, and/or the like).

12 FIG. 13 14 14 FIGS.,A, andB 1210 1212 1220 1222 1212 1224 1222 1212 1226 1216 1216 1230 1232 1216 1232 1232 1232 Turning to, a pre-existing mapis illustrated having an asset at an asset position from the pre-existing map. During a locating procedure, a utility locator device and/or smartphone disposed in a smartphone mounting apparatus may generate images of the locate environment which may be orthorectified images of the locate environment. An asset position from locate environment imagesmay be determined using geospatial data and asset tagging/rangefinder data which may further be matched with an asset position from the pre-existing map. An offset valuemay be determined in both distance and direction between the asset position from locate environment imagesand the asset position from the pre-existing map. Such an offset value may be applied to electromagnetic position from the utility locator deviceto determine electromagnetic signal position updated based on the offset value. The electromagnetic signal position updated based on the offset valuemay be used to generate an updated utility mapthat includes one or more utility lines, such as a utility lineassociated with the electromagnetic signal data (e.g., the electromagnetic signal position updated based on the offset value). It should be noted that the asset may indicate information regarding the utility line type of the utility line. For instance, image recognition and/or user input may be used to classify the utility lineas being a “water” line. Patterns in the electromagnetic signals associated with the utility linemay be used to identify, during future locating procedures, other water lines based on like electromagnetic signal patterns. For instance, Neural Network may use Deep Learning/artificial intelligence to recognize patterns and make predictions related to underground utilities including utility line type classification as illustrated in.

13 FIG. 14 FIG.A 14 FIG.B 1300 1310 1300 1310 1410 1310 1300 1320 1420 1330 1310 1320 1340 1330 1350 1360 1300 Turning to, a methodis illustrated for providing Training Data to a Neural Network to use Deep Learning/artificial intelligence to recognize patterns and make predictions related to utility lines that includes utility line type classification. In a step, the methodmay include collecting Locating Data. The Locating Datamay be or include, but is not limited to, various sources illustrated with the Locating Dataof. In a stepthe methodmay include collecting Asset Data. The Asset Datamay be or include, but is not limited to, various sources illustrated with the Asset Dataof. In a step, the Locating Dataand the Asset Datamay be used in the assembly of the Training Data in a Training Database. In a step, deep learning may utilize the Training Data of Training Database from the stepto train a Neural Network (Artificial Intelligence/AI). In a step, AI may be used to predict utility line positions and characteristics. For instance, AI may be used to predict utility line positions and map utility lines as well as utility line types (e.g., gas, water, sewer, power, telecommunications, and the like), and other characteristics. In a step, the methodmay output utility line position and characteristic predictions. For instance, the predictions may be saved on one or more non-transitory memories, used to further locate utility lines, or the like.

14 FIG.A 13 FIG. 1410 1310 1410 1411 1412 1413 1414 1415 1416 Turning to, Locating Datais illustrated showing a plurality of example sources of data that may be used to train Neural Networks which may be the same or share aspects with the Locating Data of stepof. As illustrated, the Locating Datamay include, but should not be limited to, electromagnetic data (e.g., emitted by utility line(s), pipe Sonde, marker device, and tracer wire), geospatial data (e.g., location/position data and orientation/pose data), depth estimates of utility line(s)(e.g., depth of utility lines determined via the measured electromagnetic signals), maps of utility lines, user input data, and/or other data related to the location/position and characteristics of utility lines.

14 FIG.B 13 FIG. 1420 1320 1420 1421 1422 1423 1424 1425 1426 Turning to, Asset Datais illustrated showing a plurality of example sources of data that may be used to train Neural Networks which may be the same or share aspects with the Asset Data of stepof. As illustrated, the Asset Datamay include, but should not be limited to, asset tagging data, images of the locate environment(which may be orthorectified), utility line classification data (e.g., data relating utility line type with images of assets and data relating determined utility line type with electromagnetic data), offset values, user input data, and/or other identifiable characteristics of exposed utility lines.

In some configurations, the apparatus or systems described herein may include means for implementing features or providing functions described herein. In one aspect, the aforementioned means may be a module including a processor or processors, associated memory and/or other electronics in which embodiments of the invention reside, such as to implement image and/or video signal processing, switching, transmission, or other functions to process and/or condition camera outputs, control lighting elements, control camera selection, or provide other electronic or optical functions described herein. These may be, for example, modules or apparatus residing in camera assemblies, camera and lighting assemblies, or other assemblies disposed on or within a push-cable or similar apparatus.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals, such as video and/or audio signals or data, control signals, or other signals or data may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, electro-mechanical components, or combinations thereof. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

The various illustrative functions and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein with respect to tools, instruments, and other described devices may be implemented or performed in one or more processing elements using elements such as a general or special purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Processing elements may include hardware and/or software/firmware to implement the functions described herein in various combinations.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use various embodiments. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure.

Accordingly, the presently claimed invention is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the specification and drawings, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. A phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b and c.

The previous description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the appended claims and their equivalents.